Delaware County law enforcement officials are proposing a “real-time” crime center that would combine public cameras in high-crime areas with voluntary private security camera feeds provided by the broader public, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office is expanding its contract with Fusus, a Georgia-based surveillance technology company for cameras in the city of Chester, Chester Township, Chichester, Eddystone, and Marcus Hook.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer encouraged Delaware County Council last week to accept a $1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to fund street poles, Fusus cameras, and software.

“We are working right now with a platform that will go up with a website that will allow everyone in the community, starting in Chester, and then eventually across the county, who has a camera, security camera, who wants to share it with law enforcement, to use this platform, to share it with us in real-time,” Stollsteimer said.

Stollsteimer said the ability to see camera footage in real-time is a “force-enhancer,” leading to quicker arrests and less time searching for evidence.

There has been pushback on the approach from some communities and privacy advocates worried about mass surveillance.

Read more about a proposed real-time crime center at WHYY.

Looking at Detroit’s real-time crime center.